Chapter 1
Rain
Rain. In the beginning there was rain. In that rain, inside a house that had stood for a hundred years and had seen it's glory come and go, a man felt a slight throb in the back of his head. A slight prickle of the skin, barely noticeable to him, done just underneath the brainstem. A minute welt of blood formed at the base of the compact knife, that itself was held by hand wearing a large, but somehow elegant, leather glove. The other hand, with a faintly audible whirring sound, proceeded to wipe the blood with a small black handkerchief, which then retracted into the mechanical arm.
“Think now of everything you built and loved. For soon you won't be there to admire it.”
And like that, with a slight twinge in his head, passed the most powerful brain in the world. Neither his genocidal machines, which had murdered untold millions and drove the world into a civil bloodbath of kingdoms and dynasties destroying each other for control of the devices, nor his remote hiding place in the outer North, far removed from any major city, had stopped the man with a mechanical hand from assassinating one of the last of the Haashvi dynasty.
In truth, the assassin had other motives than to receive the due payment from the Queen of Ravens. On any other assignment that he had accomplished, he never felt a single ounce of emotion-not regret for what was to come of the passing of another soul from the world, nor contempt for the spirit in question. Whether it was the high Priest of the Dragons Court, or an lower class administrator spying on the workings of a rival Tauron, he never felt a drop of sentiment, not even as small as the one that he had wiped away with his sisters last gift to him: a handkerchief. But this time it was different. The man who he had just murdered was not merely another brick in the wall of people he had killed...instead, he was more of a hole in it. The wall of Death the assassin had built up to protect himself from the outside world, all of it's suffering and plight, joy and happiness, had an imperfection that had been filled with this man's death. He had nearly finished an vendetta which had been his life, but there was still one more spot for a brick yet to fill, one more twitch of the knife and swipe of the handkerchief he had to perform, like an actor doing the final part of a play or a dancer doing the last poirot before the show was over and the ovation began.
He was going to find Enzo Haasvi.
And then he would kill him.
He then became briefly distracted from his clear cut agenda to muse on the rain that had been steadily tapping the whole operation... Indeed, it seemed so musical and orderly that nature was not affected by death, that the same rain that had tapped before the man died was the same steady rain that beat down now, and the same, steady rain that had beat down in his home village before the war, before the first thermal bomb had landed on his doorstep… A match was struck in the darkness, a small little flame in held by an inky black hand.It illuminated his mask, which resembled a white oval decorated with a single, unnaturally large mouth, and revealed the far reaching circular hat on his tall head. Such hats were common in the Spider Tauron, but was an easy sign of being a foreigner here in the North. Minute beams of candle light exposed also a large desk covered in blueprints, along with scrawling that was not of any language or coded writing known to the assassin. The room itself was cramped,the walls covered in diagrams and mathematical chaos - equations layered on top each other, concentric circles inscribed within one another to resemble fractals… In the final days of his life, the now dead man had been searching for something. For hidden in the mathematical scrawl, beneath the fractals and blueprints, beneath the chaotic. arrangement of geometrical figures - there had to be reason. This conclusion perked the assassins interest. He crouched down, holding the candle up to one of the walls, and cocked his head to look a little closer. Then he saw it. At the base of the wall, there was a small, triangular hole, no more than 2 millimeters on each side, virtually invisible to anyone who had not been trained in seeing what was not there. The man in the mask then took out a small instrument out of the folds of his large black coat, which resembled a tiny jar with a silvery fluid swirling inside. He uncorked it and uttered one word-
“Ogon!”
The cap popped off instantly, the once silver substance turning fiery gold and rushing like an arrow towards the small triangular cavern in the wall. It filled it up instantly, then settled as a perfect cast, still burning like molten metal.
He then spoke the second word.
“Tawaq.”
He saw the fluid that burned in the wall shudder with energy and turn a soft turquoise, bathing the surroundings in a faint blue light, much contrasting to the light of the seemingly blazing match he held in his hand. The liquid then seemed to almost sliver inside the wall; he heard the small clicking of fine machinery, and a whirring sound reached his ears. The assassin could sense the mechanisms, spinning around in their wooden gearboxes.They were built by a dead man, many years ago, and were now ready to reveal secrets the departed inventor had no intention of divulging… An equally sized compartment opened next to the triangle, this time a square. Out popped a miniature slip of paper, barely 4 inches long, and completely dried out. This was despite the near constant presence of the rain in these parts of the world, and dried paper like this was as foreign here as the mask and the hat that the man wore to conceal himself. He then whispered the 3rd word- “Nuda!” The liquid; now colored milk white, literally seeped through the wall and proceeded to reenter the small bottle from which it was released, quickly turning back to its original silvery state. The jet-black mechanical hand holding it quickly recorked the bottle and returned it back inside the coat. With two fingers, he picked up the small scroll and delicately put it inside an equally small box. He stood up, and looked over at the dead corpse that was lying inside the bed, still in the same position that it was in when it was alive. The mind under the mask briefly thought of returning to the Queen to accept his payment. But that, he decided, would be unnecessary.
Chapter 2
Time
(????)

The world was created by The Five In Heaven, Gods who could create and destroy worlds without raising a finger(If they chose to be in a form that had a finger) Their names were, as followed from strongest to weakest: Time, Earth, Death, Life, and Corruption.
They each came together to create a single world that would be in the perfect balance between them, a world that would run like a beutiful clockwork machine.
Thus they created a race for each of themselves - Time created the Dragons, Earth the Stone Giants, Death the Dark Elves, Life the Light elves, but Corruption, made a being that was weaker than all-man.
Corruption placed his race into a deep sleep under an island, far away from any of the continents of that day. The other gods were surprised, but did not object. In time, the races began to quarrel-over territory, food and shelter, or something else. The Five watched with mere amusement over these petty struggles, were each side was equally matched, but alliances frequently switched. However, very suddenly, what was once petty struggles escalated into a war, a war of terrible power - caused by the awakening of man. Man created machines of war that killed so many other species that the Gods were surpised at their power to murder, to steal recources, and outwit even the most cunning enemy. Then, man completely eradicated the light elves, which was the final straw for the other races. The dragons with their spells broke the machine of time, freezing the sun over the horizon in a terrible, infinite twilight. The Stone giants terraformed the entire planets crust and tectonic plates, bursting the mantle and destroying continents. The Darl Elves unleashed a plague of blight over all Humanity, its farms, and not a single city was spared. Man retalaited by building the largest machines ever - the Taurons, or mountain-cities which fought over the apocalyptic landscape for centuries. Eventually, the gods grew tired of what seemed to be endless fighing. They attempted to snuff out all the light in the world. However, one thing stopped them - Corruption. So they fought him, and whence he was defeated, they sent him and his world into the Abyss of Night, the House of Chaos himslelf. Corruption was given full custody of the world while in his prison. He was brimming with endless rage over his banishment, and decided to torment the remaing inhabitants of the world - slowly, for centuries lowering the sun over the horizon, cooling and boiling the planet in frigid wintes and burning summers. The dark elves, one of the few creatures realizing the proscess, combined their entire races power to escape the Machine, into another dimension beyond the reach of the Five. The Dragons settled on the remains of their gigantic dead leader Onu, who had had ben killed in the war against humanity. The Stone giants end was however the worst. They were all destroyed and powdered into massive, sentient seas of Sand, whose eyes are the last remaing peice of their soul. Magic, which before could be drawn from any source of energy, began to condense into places of power - like the corpse of Onu, the eyes of the Stone giants, and the Taurons of humanity. Humans now are spread out over the terreformed Machine, having 12 main countries, each of which draws on the reserves of energy left behind by the war machines they used to fight with. All the while, the magic in the machines, used to sheild humans from the effects of the swinging climactic seasons, are slowly windind down, leaking, or even worse - exploding, with the force that even atomic energy cannot match. Slowy, the world is dying.

Some of the facts that point towards significance of children's book illustrations character design are explained. Read more. http://www.proglobalbusinesssolutions.com/childrens-book-illustrations-services-importance/

Hello everyone.
I am Eva from Singapore. I am a self-learned artist. Never have any formal education in Art. I love to paint Nature using acrylic paint. ( traditional way)
Beside painting, i love to read books and listening to music too. .
Hoping to meet new friends here.

The BRoKen Doll
she was sweet and innocent until her owner left her, then she went crazy and killed everyone she ran into and wouldn't stop until she found the little girl now all grown up.she will kill anyone who gets in her way.
Chapter one
Her name was Sarah and she was 6 years old when she got the doll. The doll had a pretty purple dress, a shiny porcelain face with pink blush on the cheeks and orange lipstick on her lips , tiny black shoes , dark red curly hair, and she was twelve inches tall. Sarah loved her doll, it was a birthday present and she had always wanted a doll. She took it everywhere with her and even put her in bed with her because she was afraid she'd lose her. She felt so loved because Sarah would never leave her and she made all of Sarah's friends jealous and Sarah's love started bringing the doll to life. Sarah decided to name the doll Audrey because she really liked the name. But as Sarah got older she used and played with the doll less and less. Audrey began to feel useless and became angry and depressed. A couple years went by and Sarah had just turned 14 and it was her last year of middle school. One day when Sarah went to bed she forgot Audrey was in it and accidentally knocked her behind the bed she wanted to see what it was but was too tired. Audrey was filled with rage. The next day Sarah went under her bed and saw the doll she once loved and spent all her time with, she had cracks on her face, her hair was knotted and filled with dirt, her dress was ripped, and one of her shoes had been removed. Sarah picked her up and dusted her off and took the pieces of her face and glued them back to her; it was still very noticeable that those pieces had come off. Sarah hadn't looked at her doll in so long and remembered all the fun they had together when she was younger. After she fixed her she put her down and decided that since she doesn't use her anymore that she would give her to another little girl so she asked her mom if she knew anyone she could give her to and she said she had a friend that had a 5 year old daughter and that she would give Audrey to her for her. Audrey was furious a tear had fallen down her face as her old owner had walked out the door to be with her friends. Sarah's mom had given her to Zoey her new owner but Zoey didn't want her because she looked creepy after being dropped on the floor so her mom threw her away where Audrey stayed left with depression and anger feeling useless and like she couldn't do anything. Seven years later Sarah was in college and Audrey fell into a deep sleep but had grown into the size of a six year old. After all those years she had finally awakened still feeling upset about what had happened she lifted herself out of the trashcan;she had cracks on her arms and legs. The pieces Sarah had glued back on had fallen off. Audrey hated the way she looked so she re-curled her hair, put on black lipstick, wiped the blush off her face breaking more parts of her face but behind it was something evil and she didn't like it so she took a zipper and glued it to her face to close it up. It was hard for her to move because she was stiff but it looked as if her skin was becoming like a human's she was barely porcelain anymore. She ripped her dress and dyed it black and put on black eyeliner and eyeshadow. Her eyes were an evil dark dark black . Her heart was so broken she wanted to hurt everyone that had hurt her she saw that the door to her old house was unlocked and decided to go in. She heard the mother that had thrown her away was home feeling angry and hurt she grabbed a knife and walked up the stairs and slowly and quietly walked into her room. The mother was on the phone and Audrey was already behind her she then stabbed her in the back the mother then fell and Audrey looked at her and asked, " why did you throw me away? " in her creepy doll voice then giggled. The mother screamed and tried to run but Audrey threw the knife at her chest causing her to fall and die Audrey went over and collected her knife and decided to cut out her heart to see if it would heal her broken heart she then ate it and the parts of her that were porcelain became human skin but she still felt stiff so she went to collect more victims hearts hoping that she'd find the one that hurt her the most.

Familiar (Reader x Foxy)
"Is she out there? Is she out there? Is she out there?"
"Shut up!" Freddy growled, causing Chika to abruptly clamp her beak closed and remain silent.
Bonnie dared to peek out the glass window and paused, examining the hallway. "I think she's gone..."
Then you jumped to your full height loudly exclaiming "boo!" as you made yourself visible through the window.
"Ah!" Bonnie shouted, "Ah!" Chika and Freddy echoed. The three terrified animatronics huddled together in the middle of the guard's office and cowered.
"She's camping again!" Freddy growled in frustration. "Go away!" He tried to sound brave as he stared you down through the glass, but soon felt himself growing weak and shut his eyes, holding onto Chika and Bonnie tighter.
You laughed and strolled away down the hall, off to Pirate's Cove. You moved the curtains aside to find Foxy sitting there, just contemplating the place. You sat down beside him, yawned, and leaned on his shoulder. The fox looked at you curiously as he placed his non-hook arm around you. "Done terrorizing them already, lass?"
"I just wanted to frustrate Freddy by camping in front of the door for a little while," you replied innocently. "I'm not really going to hurt them, but they're mean not to open the door for me, I'm the night guard, that's my office."
"You're merciless," there was a tone of amusement reflected in Foxy's voice, at least sensing your energy no longer filled him with fear, not since the contract that change his very nature. You smiled, closing your eyes and dozing off a little. "You sure you want to sleep on the job?"
"You keep watch, captain," you gave yourself up to slumber without any worry. Foxy would alert you if the others tried to sneak up on you, not that you thought they would. Oh no, they were thoroughly terrified of you.
xoxox xox xoxox
When you first started chasing them all over the restaurant, they resorted to locking themselves in the office you had vacated to give pursuit and left poor Foxy out. You spent the whole night picking on the fox until he could take it no more and just gave up. Disappointed, you encouraged him. "Fight back, run away, do something!"
He had shaken his head tiredly and not moved an inch. It was useless to fight someone whose mere touch could paralize him if she so wanted it, and he was tired of running. "It's no use, lass, I'm broken and forgotten, just waiting to fall apart and cease to exist. I have no place in the stage and there's not much to look forward to about being hidden away collecting dust. The others have something to live for, but I don't, so there's no point in running away."
"Aw, I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just playing. You guys have no bounty on you, it wouldn't benefit me to exorcise you." You weren't sure why the owner spent money on guards that would inevitably quit after five nights or less, instead of spending a larger, though one time, sum on an exorcist, which would be more economical in the long run. Maybe he got a kick out of watching the guards get terrorized, the cameras could be connected to a network transmitting the nightly happenings of the restaurant elsewhere for all you knew.
Foxy sighed, "not even good enough for bounty..." He paused, observing your conflicted expression. "That be no fault of yours lass, but if ye don't want to exorcise me, there's no point in running from you."
"Say, Foxy..." You piped up, deciding to follow through with your crazy idea. "You're out of commission in the show, right? So the owner won't mind if I take you in place of this week's paycheck? I mean, you said yourself you were forgotten."
"Why would ye want me, lass?" The pirate fox looked at you with genuine curiosity.
xoxox xox xoxox
Foxy felt your body relax and your breaths come and go in a steady rhythm. Tonight he wanted to spend some time in Pirate Cove, it was rundown, yet nostalgic. On other nights he would join you in chasing the other animatronics around. They had been shocked to see Foxy back and in perfect conditions after he disappeared the previous day. They asked for his help in escaping the exorcist whose very presence put them on edge.
Foxy had smiled sweetly and informed them that he was your familiar. The other animatronics had stared at him dumbfounded for a moment before realizing what that meant, screaming as loud as they could and running away. Foxy knew you weren't going to exorcise them and he wasn't really upset at them anymore, but picking on them was more fun than picking on the previous guards.
You weren't sure how many hours passed, but when you woke up, everything was quiet and still. "Good morning, lass, it's almost time."
You muttered something unintelligible and refused to wake up. Foxy lifted you and carried you to the guard's office. Predictably, Freddy and the others had used up their power checking the cameras to see if you had left Pirate's Cove and were sneaking back towards them. When Bonnie peeked out the door and spotted Foxy heading towards them, they dashed out through the opposite door, panicking down the hallway. It was almost time for your shift to end, thankfully. Maybe if they went back to the stage you wouldn't chase them anymore.
The phone rang. The other had taken to the habit of calling in the morning if only to see if the guard was alive or if there was a mess somewhere that needed to be cleaned before the restaurant opened for business. The ringing finished the job of waking you up. You were on the office chair on your familiar's lap, though you were sure you had fallen asleep at Pirate's Cove. While you yawned and blinked, Foxy picked up the phone and handed it to you, before your employer assumed you were dead.
"Morning... Nothing to report, yeah, everything's fine... Ok, bye," you hung up, stood and stretched.
"Home?" Foxy asked.
You smiled at your familiar, glad that he was getting accustomed to thinking of your place as home. "Let's go home."
End
xoxox xox xoxox
I don't write fics anymore, but I had a 10 hour shift and the runway was closed during 9 of those, so I had nothing to do, and a friend wanted a short story with Foxy. XD
xoxox xox xoxox
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Small Description: ( This is a Lucifer X O.C story. If you don't know who Lucifer is it is a tv show I watch every Monday evening. Tom Ellis is gorgeous as hell, and I couldn't help but write something to fill in my swooning void here. Lucifer is my newest inspiration according to story telling, and art wise! Serena Storm is the name of my character. And this was a before after they met story. I will be using second person (When Serena is telling from her point of view, and third person. (Using the term he/they/her/them ) i hope you guys enjoy it! )
Lucifer X O.C (Serena Storm)
chapter 1
A new cold case
Serena's point of view
It felt like a normal morning as it did everyday. I had the best sleep in years ever since detective Chloe allowed me to join the crime scene investigations. She saw that I had abilities like another person did that was working in the force. That other person? That man was- well..abnormal lets just put it that way.
I opened my hazel eyes, and had had a content smile on my face, until I saw a lump next to me. My smile then had switched to a serious look. The lump groaned a few minutes later, showing some bare skin. The groan sounded deep, sexy. It was defiantly a man.
"Lucifer??" I cried. I placed my hand on my head as I saw my co-worker next to me. Even slightly sitting up made me feel sick. A throbbing pain occurred with the unsettling stirring I made.
"Mm good morning detective-" he purred, not caring that I seemed surprised that I slept with him. "What ...happened last night?" I placed a hand over my face regretting what happened between us. Lucifer didn't seem to have a hangover though- he was immortal. Lucifer normally didn't get drunk like humans did- not only that..he was the devil. So not only did I hate myself for sleeping with such an evil spiritual but sexy force of nature- I also surpassed my limits within drinking last night. Even though I should have listened to my brain.
"Well detective, you were at my shop -"
"You mean you're pornstar club?" Lucifer looked at me with those dark handsome eyes carefully. He huffed at first, but then sighed and smiled. "Yes of course- but may I continue to tell you're tale?" He had this- almost innocent look in his dark eyes. I nodded to let him continue holding the covers to shield my nudity. "Anyway, you came to Lux and you seemed almost well- disarranged. You began asking for a drink and I was concerned what happened to you. Apparently someone was threatening you online- I went to investigate myself who this "bully" was and she said you were an abusive girl. I laughed in her face and told her that you were just simply jealous at the time, you're emotions overtook you (along with you're jealousy)" he added. "And yet she still began making false attempts to ruin your reputation. I gave the prick what she deserved- so you do not need to worry you're pretty little head anymore about that troll of yours my dear Serena." He gave a cocky half smile knowing he did a job well done. "Oh also I got rid of that annoying bitch who took you're ex boyfriend away. I know you are not into him anymore, but she was annoying the hell out of me too. All this constant bragging about him acting like he was her trophy." He rolled his eyes and snarled at this. "Nobody likes braggers."
I opened my mouth and closed it. I had to make sure if Lucifer was telling the truth. My eyes started to water slightly. All these years...I mistook hi for evil- so I asked him. "Lucifer- ...did you really..."
"Dispose of them? Why yes I certainly did. We don't need lairs and hypocrites like them. You suffered too much around them- oh that other girl- the one who has been insulting you got what she deserved also. She was a fraud too. Braggers, lairs and fucking bitches I will bring down to my gates love." He couldn't help but smile as if he did a deed well done.
I blinked my eyes and couldn't help but hug him. He grunted and looked surprised.
"Thank you lucifer. It means the world to me." He cleared his throat but smiled.
"Detective you very well know that you're hugging me while we're both nude correct?" He playfully asked.
I blushed and let go.
"Why do you have to ruin everything?" I rolled my eyes slightly blushing.
"Because I am the devil love!" He stated with a fact. Soon enough my phone started to ring. I grabbed the covers while he pouted. I ignored him and waddled away.
"Detective Serena speaking...ya? ...you don't mean- " I gasped. "I will be on my way..." I hung up the phone and lucifer had a questioning look on his face. "Chloe's boyfriend...he's dead." Lucifer just smiled at this shocking news.

Before Captain America
"In Time"
Ch. 1) The New Girl on the Block
It was the 1940's in Brooklyn, New York. Steve Rogers had trouble fitting in with people due to his small size, and his tuberculosis disease. He was backed in an alleyway, being teased and bullied as usual.
"Hey Rogers, how 'bout we give ya a knuckle sandwich on the go?" A strong beefy boy threatened, showing a gap-y smile.
"Thanks, but no thanks; you guys made me loose my appetite." Steve declined the offer.
"Shut up!" Another tall kid lifted Steve up against a brick wall, ready to give him a hard punch in the face. Steve winced his blue eyes and turned away. The punch knocked Steve's breath out, as he had one punch thrown at him. He felt his cheek swell already. There will definitely be a black and blue bruise tomorrow. Then Steve fell and felt another rough kick at his side. Steve held his stomach as he closed his eyes. 'It will be all over soon.' Steve thought. All of a sudden, the beatings stopped. Steve's vision was blurry, as he tried to force his eyes open.
"Excuse me, but what do we have here Mr. Bucky Barnes?" A calm female voice came into view.
"You guys aren't beating up on my buddy Steve here are we now?" Steve couldn't tell with the look on Bucky's face, but he can definitely tell his friend wasn't happy about this situation.
"What's it to ya Barnes? You hardly notice! And all you do is pick up girls like that chick over there! Just because you're in a uniform doesn't give you much charm." One of the bullies insulted.
"Oh really?" The girl mused innocently. "Well then, we can send you off to the police, and you can tell them all about how you have beating up and were harassing a poor fellow in the alleyway. How are you gunna back up your defenses there?" She spat angrily.
"Easy Cadence." Bucky warned. 'So it looks like Bucky's dates name is Cadence...' Steve thought weakly. 'But why is she standing up for me?' He wondered and groaned as his sides began to burn. Bucky and Cadence shortly brought their attention to Steve.
"Actually here comes a policeman right now." Cadence trotted over to a man that was a few short distance away. Bucky smirked at this, and the two boys who beaten up Steve, looked at each other with fear and nodded their heads, having a quick get away. The woman pointed her finger at the two boys who were trying to run, and the policeman chased after them, seeing poor Steve curled up in a ball. Bucky finally kneeled down quickly besides Steve and gently touched him.
"Hey Steve, easy there pal." He tried to soothe. Steve was a trooper though. Bucky's date came back and knelt besides Bucky. "Hey...Cadence... Since you're a nurse in training, do you think you can help my friend out?" Bucky gave her a worried look.
"I wouldn't say no to the question..." She gave him a small weak smile. Bucky sighed with relief, and gave her a kiss on the cheek in appreciation.
"Hey Steve? It's Bucky-"
"...You think I wouldn't know the sound of my friends own voice?" Steve showed a lame smile.
"Hey cut the jokes for later Steve, we're gunna take you to the hospital okay? Cadence is a nurse in training. And she's very good at what she does." Bucky explained.
"It's actually a volunteer nurse Bucky, but yes, I want to be a corps nurse for those brave men who are fighting in the war. I want to give them all the help I can afford." She quickly explained. Bucky nodded his head and picked up Steve lightly. He groaned in pain as Steve felt he was being lifted up off the ground.
"Hey how come you didn't fight those jerks off? You would have been less in pain if you did." Bucky questioned trying to distract Steve.
"...I don't like bullies that's why." Steve drowsily answered. Bucky laughed.
"I know you don't. Neither do I." He smiled as he and Cadence brought Steve to the hospital.

The men camped on the hill were loud. The drums echoed through the streets, their voices rang out in cheerful song hours after all of the shops had closed and taverns had closed their doors. Caecilia only wished she had a window to gaze out with the hopes of catching sight of the flames or hearing the music clearer. Instead, she was trapped in her bedroom, as she had been all night in the hopes of keeping her away from the guests. Nerva had never liked the men of the tribes, but he especially detested Merovech. Caecilia could never make sense of the jealousy and the fear, all bundled with his hatred of the tribes and his elevated opinion of himself.
When her father had announced Caecilia’s engagement to Merovech shortly after he was honored by the Emperor in Rome, Caecilia had been enormously excited. To marry such an honorable man was every girl’s dream. Nerver, however, had not seen it that way. He had thrown what Caecilia could only describe as a tantrum had insulted the chieftan and Merovech to their faces. Her father chastised him and punished him, only to break the betrothal the following year. Nerva had made no secret of the fact that it was his doing and now she found herself engaged to the high and honorable Senator Rogatus. He was quite possibly the most vile man she had ever encountered.
“Lady Caecilia,” a gentle voice called out. “Your bed is ready.”
Caecilia sighed, placing her comb down on the table. She did not understand why she even tried. The years of abuse and bleach to her hair had ruled it terribly frayed and damaged. No amount of brushing would tame or repair it. “Please don’t call me that, Livia.”
The little blonde servant girl blushed and ducked her head in apology. “Forgive me,” she responded quickly. “It is only because I served at the party tonight.”
Caecilia smiled gently, walking over to the girl and taking her hands warmly. “Well, in here, you are Livia and I am Caecilia, right?”
Livia nodded with a light giggle. “Right.”
The two girls continued to laugh as they crawled into the bed. Livia as always so glad to get off of her feet and the sight of relief she let out every night made Caecilia smile. “How was the meal? How were our guests?”
“Honestly?...They seemed rather uncomfortable.”
Caecilia sniffed a derisive laugh. “Yes, I imagine the fine comforts of Rome are not to their liking at all. Who was here?”
Livia gave her a careful glance, knowing what her mistress wanted to know. “There was a tall redhead with pale eyes.”
“Merovech,” Caecilia interrupted.
“And he brought two men with him,” Livia continued “Both blonde. One was huge. The other, I think, had been here before. He was very polite.”
Caecilia smiled. “That sounds like it may have been Guntram. It is odd that Merovech did not bring his brother…”
“Yes, lament the absence of the pig rather than rejoicing in it, Caeci.”
Caecilia and Livia both let out a surprised squeak and Livia quickly lifted the blanket to her chin. Caecilia looked over at Nera, standing smugly in her doorway. This was not the first time in which Caecilia despised the lack of doors inside a Roman villa. It meant that her brother or mother could come in at any moment and act all superior to her.
“Tired of your back room rendezvous, Nerva?” she asked, glaring at him.
He sighed. “I simply cannot enjoy myself when in the company of such filth,” he answered on a sigh. “I cannot understand why father allows those animals in the house.”
“Perhaps if you spent more time on the battlefield and less time on your hair, you would understand.”
Caecilia’s gaze snapped around to Livia, whose face was now pink, flush with shock and embarrassment. Apparently, she had surprised herself by saying such a thing. Caecilia chuckled loudly.
“What did you just say to me, slave?” Nerva asked loudly, stepping into the room.
Caecilia quickly hopped out of bed and placed herself between her brother and Livia. Nerva stopped his advance, his eyes alight with anger. “She is not a slave,” Caecilia argued.
He exhaled a disbelieving breath. “She is a slave, just like Sabinus is a bastard.”
Caecilia flinched at the mention of her baby brother. It was widely known around the household that her mother had had an affair which resulted in her pregnancy with the boy. The suspicion was that his father was one of Merovech’s father’s men. The red hair that Sabinus shared with Merovech simply did not exist among Romans. But, Caecilia’s father had never questioned his paternity--at least not out loud--and had claimed Sabinus as his own son. To hear Nerva call him a bastard hurt her heart. “We did not buy Livia,” she responded strongly. “We do not own her. She is not a slave. And Sabinus is not a bastard. Father claimed him the day he was born. He is his son, just like you are.”
Nerva visibly stiffened but had to rebuttal for her. Instead, he chose to change the subject. “Are you all packed to accompany your fiancé to Rome?”
Caecilia felt sick to her stomach at the mention of the man she was doomed to marry. “You are just so proud of that, aren’t you?”
He tried to look offended. Instead he just looked arrogant. .”If I had not convinced father to let you marry the Senator, you would be living among heathen barbarians. Your husband would share you with his father. They eat their horses, Caeci! I have even heard they eat the daughters they do not want!”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Caecilia snapped. “You know they do not eat their children. The point is you should not have meddled! I was ready to marry Merovech! Our marriage would have brought new citizens to Rome”
Nerva laughed. “You idealistic fool. Those beasts will never be Roman citizens. And he would have tossed her to his friends once he had his fill of you. No, Caecilia: you deserve a good Christian marriage.”
Caecilia had not forgotten that the people of the tribes were pagans. It was a detail of their marriage that would have caused debate, but it was not a deal breaker in her opinion. Many of the tribes in the South had already converted; it was only a matter of time before the North followed suit.
“You should not have interfered,” she said quietly, looking down at her feet. She had wanted to marry Merovech, had wanted to learn about a new culture and help lead them to Rome. Merovech himself had been honored by the Emperor and was well on his way to becoming a Roman citizen. More importantly, she had wanted to be a wife and mother. She wanted to have a family. This new arrangement would have her being more like a forgotten piece of furniture in an abandoned room.
Nerva wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the crown of her head. “This is better for you,” he soothed. “You deserve the glamorous life in Rome, not to be the unfortunate slave to a beast. You will be happy.”
Caecilia pushed him away. “Leave, Nerva,” she ordered. “We need to sleep.”
For once, he left on her first request, leaving Caecilia standing in the middle of the room. She wanted to hate him. She wanted to lash out at him, despise him for taking away her future. But, she couldn’t hate him. He was her brother.
Livia said nothing as she crawled back into bed, having no response to the conversation. Caecilia could not stop her thoughts from turning sour as she compared her former fiancé to her current one. Rogatus was going to take her back to Rome by the week’s end. They would marry and she would die tragically under the weight of her new husband on the wedding night. This was her fate, thanks to her brother. If it had not been for him, Caecia would probably be out dancing to the drums with Merovech and his men
“I used to dream about running away with them,” Caecilia admitted. “I would happily stow away with them.”
Livia exhaled a laugh. “Then we should go to bed so that you can dream those dreams again.”
Caecilia had difficulty sleeping. She had been so excited to be able to see Merovech again, but had been denied that. She could not make sense of the disappointment coursing through her any more than she could make sense of the disappointment in Merovech’s stare. Caecilia had convinced herself that to be rid of her, any ties or obligations to her, would be an immense relief. He could carry on with his life of military glory and she would be crushed to death by a giant pig. The expression on his face, the range of emotions in his eyes indicated that the breaking of the engagement was not a relief, though. Had he been as hurt as she had been?

Driving from the embassy house to the college only took about thirty minutes. Thirty minutes to sit and try to think about nothing. Sébastien even tried to concentrate on the fog that still lingered and cradled the school's bell tower. The black car pulled around the gates and parked behind the library. Michel sighed.
"I'll be talking to the music school dean and the art school dean to get her credits in order and make sure the family is refunded tuition. You send me a text as soon as you want me to meet with her," he said as he closed his briefcase.
"Michel, could you," Sébastien looked out of the window with dread, not ready to be swarmed by college girls this morning, "maybe not toss my name around too much? Be vague and... blend in?" Michel looked down at his clothes. He was an attractive, confident man on an all female campus dressed in an Armani suit... He looked back up at Sébastien.
"Um... yeah okay... I'll be totally casual," Michel did his best impression of an apathetic teen. Sébastien sighed, but appreciated his friend's attempt at humor. Sébastien's door opened and Charles waited on the other side. Michel hopped out of the car and went on his way. Sébastien slowly pulled himself out of the car, not eager to face this day. Charles urged him by action, closing the door and beginning the walk to the the building. Sébastien finally started to move and was relieved to find the grounds nearly void of human life. Everything seemed much the same since he visited with his father.
Upon entering the library, Sébastien found himself in the normal routine. He was politely making conversation with women and being forced to partake in horribly bland coffee. He smoothly removed himself from conversation and made his way down a sloping hall into what he had heard students call "the dungeon." Michel and Charles had been working tirelessly to know exactly where Miss Bellini would be... at all times, otherwise it would have been a blind hunt. Sébastien was fond of the old music library and meeting her here almost made him feel a little better. The smell of old books was soothing and somewhere there was an old harpsichord that had been donated by his mother.
He took a seat on one of the old couches in the small sitting space and waited for any sign of her. Charles silently tossed out Sébastien's coffee before sitting next to him. He pulled out a book he would only half read while keeping watch over his prince. The couch was very soft and well used. Sébastien felt a little like he had sat down into a giant corduroy marshmallow. An older woman with bright eyes and round features popped out of the little office and made her way to bother... offer Sébastien any assistance. Sébastien remembered her from the past visit. She was a sweet woman, but overly helpful. Charles cleared his throat while she was talking and Sébastien looked past her to see Cecilia. She looked so much like her pictures, straight brown hair that fell back behind her shoulders, baggy clothes and probably just over five feet tall. Then she was gone, disappeared into the back of the library. He must have had a strange look on his face since the librarian followed his eyes and blushed ever so slightly.
"Oh, Cecilia is here. If you desire anything, anything at all, she is your girl. She's very sweet... and polite... a freshman," She said before finally letting him be. He tried to shake off her town. She must have thought he was looking for a quick and easy date... The way this school threw their girls at any passing wealthy man was strange to him. If these girls were just on the hunt for eligible men, why waste time and money on college?
Charles shifted in his spot, showing he planned to stay put. Hopefully there weren't many students that needed this part of the library. Charles probably would turn them away. Sébastien was alone to meet his fiancee. She would recognize him and treat him as everyone else did. He would be fooled by her kindness and then she would change... Just like Caroline. She would demand and he would provide... it wouldn't be a happy life, but like he had told Clara. He was determined to make it work... but for now... Where had she slipped off to?